UNEP, partners to train rural women on clean energy livelihoods – EQ Mag Pro
New Delhi : The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), ReNew Power, India’s leading clean energy company, and the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) have launched a partnership in the Indian state of Gujarat to teach women from the informal sector skillsthat will allow them to work in the modern clean energy industry.
The multi-pronged programme will facilitate the training of salt pan workers from the Rann of Kutch in solar power technologies to help them leapfrog from traditional energy sources to renewable and clean energy and new livelihood opportunities. The initiative, which will kick off in Gujarat in early 2022 with an estimated 1,000 women, will see salt pan workers trained as solar panel and solar pump technicians across SEWA training centres and ReNew Power’s facilities in the state with technical training provided by Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI).
Speaking for SEWA, Ms Reema Nanavaty from SEWA said, “This programme will not only help create alternative livelihoods for our SEWA sisters and help mitigate the environmental challenges that exist in the current energy use practices in traditional sectors such as salt production, but it will also help achieve a just transition towards environmental sustainability.” She added, “We look forward to replicating this programme across other regions of the country with support from organizations such as ReNew Power and UNEP.”
This plan aims to expand the initiative over the next few years and sees potential to unlock global climate funds for similar developmental, green skill, green job, and green entrepreneurship activities. This project will also support efforts to achieve several Sustainable Development Goals, including Gender Equality, Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work and Economic Growth and Climate Action.
ReNew Power, while supporting the training at its facilities, will look at supporting employment for these women in collaboration with other renewable energy companies in Gujarat.
“We at ReNew remain committed to leading the clean energy transition beyond our core business.
Social responsibility has been an integral part of our DNA and we are delighted to partner with UNEP and SEWA to help drive the inclusion of women in an industry that is only going to grow and also bring them to the forefront of India’s clean energy transition,” said Ms Vaishali Sinha, Chief Sustainability Officer, ReNew Power.
The programme will follow the skill training guidelines laid down by the National Skill Development Corporation under the framework established by ESSCI. “By contributing to this project, we aim to add to the development of a scalable and sustainable system for capacity building, and to the common platform for the community to participate in skill development activities, moving towards creating industry-ready human resources,” said Dr Abhilasha Gaur COO, ESSCI.
“This is an exciting programme, which has the potential to scale and be replicated across many parts of the country. We are happy to support corporates such as ReNew and associations such as SEWA in such initiatives that provide women with skills and employment while simultaneously fighting climate change,” said Shri Atul Bagai, Head of UNEP’s India Country Office.
About UNEP
About the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
UNEP@50: A time to reflect on the past and envision the future
The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, was the first-ever UN conference with the word “environment” in its title. The creation of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was one of the most visible outcomes of this conference of many firsts. UNEP was created quite simply to be the environmental conscience of the UN and the world. Activities taking place through 2022 will look at significant progress made as well as what’s ahead in decades to come.
About ReNew Power
ReNew is one of the largest renewable energy Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in India and globally. ReNew develops, builds, owns, and operates utility-scale wind and solar energy projects, hydro projects and distributed solar energy projects. As of December 31, 2021, ReNew had a total capacity of approximately 10.2 GW of renewable energy projects across India including commissioned and committed projects.
About SEWA
SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION (SEWA) is working with 1.8 million (2018) poor, selfemployed women workers form the informal economy across 18 states of India. With Guardian principles of Satya (truth), Ahinsa (non-violence), and Khadi (propagation of local employment and self-reliance), SEWA has been working for almost 5 decades to improve the livelihoods of poor self-employed women workers from informal economy through various initiatives using technology, technical training, microfinance, market linkages, natural resource management, affordable clean energy access etc. across 124 trades with twin goals of full employment and self-reliance.
About ESSCI
The Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI) is a Not‐for‐Profit Organization, registered under the Indian Companies Act, 1956.The Council has been promoted by six Associations i.e., CEAMA, ELCINA, IESA (formerly ISA), IPCA, MAIT & ELCOMA, with financial support by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The association’s collective represents the electronics sector. The ESSCI’s focus is on establishing an effective and efficient ecosystem for developing and imparting of outcome-oriented skills for the Electronics Systems, Design and Manufacturing Industry (ESDM).
ESSCI is responsible for standardization, accreditation and certification processes to enhance the employability of the Indian workforce globally. It envisions to enable a world class electronics manufacturing industry with an ecosystem for skill development and enhance employability of the large number of Indian youth. The approach of ESSCI is to build a robust eco system of partners and knowledge contributors leading to research and analysis and developing a training mechanism leading to accreditation and certification of trained resources ESSCI has over 250 training partners having over 4000 training centres across the country, that are well equipped to undertake skill development across job roles in all segments of ESDM.
